Various Paganism, Tarot, Etc

New Moon in Scorpio – November 2020

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New Moon In Scorpio Tarot Reading - Oak Ash & Thorn Tarot

Yesterday was the new moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us.  Today’s spread is brought to you by Ethony‘s Tarot By the Moon series.

1. What do you need to face that you’ve been avoiding?

The Fool atop Knight of Cups – That moody bullshit you’ve been feeling that’s making you drag your feet needs to stop.  It’s time to step forward into the spirit of the fool and embrace a sense of optimism and enthusiasm that will allow you to bound forward with alacrity rather than slog onward with a feeling of reluctance.

2. What secrets need to come into the light?

Five of Swords – You’re far more ruthless than you allow others to see. Your moral compass helps to keep this in check, but the temptation to do what needs done no matter the cost in order to win does rear its ugly head from time to time and with your emotions all stirred up?  It shows up more often than you’d like.

3. What conversation needs to be had?

Five of Wands – The hard ones.  The difficult ones.  The ones that turn into clashes because of how strongly you feel about it.  You work so hard to avoid confrontation that sometimes you forsake these topics of conversation when you should really speak out and allow your feelings and opinions to be expressed clearly.

4. What do I need to forgive in myself?

Knight of Wands – There have been a number of times in your life where you have acted impulsively and felt the sting of repercussions as a result. Stop beating yourself up over these things and using them to keep yourself “in line”.  Enthusiasm is allowed and so is the occasional impulsivity.  It’s a part of the learning process.

5. What shadow aspect requires integration?

Ten of Pentacles atop Two of Swords – You need to remember that a lot of your need and drive towards stability and security comes from the past and the injuries that you suffered there.  They influences the decisions that you make and the desire for that stability you crave.  This isn’t a bad thing, but needs acknowledgement in order to find balance.

DECK USED: OAK ASH & THORN TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – Situational Projections

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“There is a LOT of energy in the world this week. We are all carrying and absorbing a lot of anxiety, relief, uncertainty, etc, I’d guess. It’s crucial during these kinds of times to try to pay attention to our intuition underneath the anxiety, although this can be tricky to do. This week, pick one (or more) situation in your life that you need to make a decision on this month, and do a situation-action-outcome reading on it. The goal here is to get clarity and give our intuition (or spiritual guidance) a voice even in the midst of uncertainty and anxiety and big emotions.”

Bag of Bones Playing CardsI chose to allow the cards to choose the situation discussed in the reading.  Therefore, the cards pulled for “situation” are used to describe the situation that becomes the topic of the reading as a whole.

Situation No. 1

Situation – Two of Spades atop Ten of Hearts – Struggling with decision-making when it comes to working on my emotional growth. I’m so used to using logic and discounting my emotions that sometimes it’s extremely difficult for me to allow my emotions to filter into the decision making process. This means that I end up stuck and stagnant rather than moving forward. This is a problem I struggled with through the summer months and feels… unfinished.

Action – Two of Clubs – Taking the time to plan and strategize rather than just ignoring the problem or moving forward without a plan. I haven’t quite figured out how to do this yet.  I think it has to do with making sure I’m focusing on where I want to go, though, instead of becoming distracted by that feeling of lack of progress and ending up stuck there.

Outcome – King of Diamonds – Taking control of my goals and being able to accomplish them from the rooted place of a stable foundation.  The King of Diamonds indicates that allowing my emotions to have a say in my decision making process won’t steer me off track regardless of the fact it feels like it might.

Situation No. 2

Situation – Ten of Clubs – Overburdening myself is a situation that I find myself in a lot.  Like… A LOT.  Although, this summer I did make a few changes that seemed to help a good deal with my cycles of burnout and recovery.I managed to make it through all of the summer without a single burnout episode, actually, which is kind of unheard of.   But now with the holiday rush upon me, I know that the old tendency to burn myself out until I’m not just overburdened but no longer able to function is on the rise.

Action – Nine of Diamonds – Pretending everything is all right and good and that I’m in a good place instead of looking at the problem.  This is my main way of functioning through discomfort, whether that discomfort is pain or exhaustion, or any other number of situations.  The problem is?  When I do this it creates a well of closeted and walled off emotions, because I have to numb my insides for it to work.

Outcome – Four of Hearts – Delays due to dejection are the results of this unhealthy way of dealing with my tendency to overburden myself.  As I am susceptible to clinical depression, dejection is not a safe thing for me as it allows the slope down into the pit of depression to become slippery, and the more slippery that slope becomes then the faster and easier I slide down into the pit.  This reading is a warning about what not to do… and what to watch out for.

DECK USED: BAG OF BONES PLAYING CARDS

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Dirty Feet

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Prompt: Pull (at least) three cards use them to share with us something you remember from your childhood that brings a smile.

Kimetsu No Yaiba TarotThere was once a young boy who spent all of his time playing in the woods at the back of his parent’s property with the Fae folk that lived there (The Fool). He had great fun romping with them through the forest, his laughter mingling with that of the Fae and ringing out among the trees (The Sun).

When his mother found out what he was up to in the forest (The Empress), she was very upset with him and restricted him from going into the woods. She told him that he was no longer allowed to play there or go into the woods at all by himself (Judgement).

The boy felt as if his whole world had been taken away from him and was devastated as it deems that his entire world was falling apart around him (The Tower). Even though he had a sister to spend time with, he felt all alone and bereft at the loss of his playmates in the woods (The Hermit).

Then one night a miraculous thing happened, and the Fae came out of the woods to come and visit him! They tempted him (The Devil) to come out into the night and play while everyone else was asleep (The Moon).

Sneaking out of his parents home was not as hard as he thought it would be (The Magician), and soon he was romping happily with the Fae folk once again (The Lovers).

For years to come, the boy snuck out of the house to play in the nighttime woods with the Fae, and oddly, no one ever noticed his dirty little feet come morning (Wheel of Fortune).  And by the time they did… It was too late to stop him (The Chariot).

That little boy is me.

DECK USED: KIMETSU NO YAIBA TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – Holidays Are Coming

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“This week, talk with your divination tools about how to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. This is a crazy year, and the holidays are often a crazy time even during normal years! Let’s see what we can do now to be prepared and show up as our best selves.”

Cartomancy Playing Card ReadingWhat are things I need to be aware of/look out for in the upcoming holiday season?

Three of Clubs – You need to make sure that you’re staying focused on where you want to go and the goals you want to accomplish. There’s been a lot of distraction (especially mental distraction) in your life lately, and awareness the direction you need to go in and having a clear plan to get there is the best way to make sure that this holiday season goes smoothly.

King of Spades (Lily) atop Three of Spades – You need to keep an eye out for delays through the winter months that might cause you to feel emotional upheaval as a result.  It’s possible, especially due to the current economy and pandemic, that the holiday rush will be sluggish or slow this year. This is something you need to keep an eye on and strategize on what you can to counter act when possible.

What are things I should do now to physically prepare for the holidays?

Five of Clubs atop Ten of Hearts (Dog) – Don’t allow conflict with loved ones to hold things back.  Make sure you are getting enough exercise and outside time in nature to keep harmony in place.  You know how cranky you get when you don’t get enough time grounding in the woods.

Queen of Spades (Bouquet) – Take care of your mental health. This is a reiteration that you need to make sure you’re getting out into nature when you need that grounding and exercise. Fresh air and time among the trees is good for the body and the mind, and if you want to keep yourself in a positive space physically and mentally, you need to give yourself what you need to make that happen.

What are some things I should do now to emotionally prepare for the holidays?

Nine of Diamonds (Coffin) – Don’t allow the money situation this holiday season to get you down.  It’s okay if you’re not making as much as you want to make as long as you’re bringing in as much as you need. With everything going on in the world, being able to be comfortable is enough. Prepare yourself now for this possibility. Don’t set your heart on astounding profit and it’ll help keep your depression in check.

Jack of Clubs (Whip) – Get your shit together, motivationally speaking. It will create less of a feeling of conflict later on if you can get yourself together now.  Think of how much better you feel when you’ve managed to be prepared for stressful situations rather than when you aren’t and have to work on the fly without any previous preparation available.

What are some boundaries I should put in place for myself now as we ramp up to the holidays?

Queen of Hearts (Stork) – You need to adjust how you view (and provide yourself) self care. You are not going to make it through the chaos of the holiday season if you’re unwilling to give yourself the care you need to make it through.  This is not limited to the walks in the woods mentioned above, but also concerns your other self care methods as well.

Ace of Hearts (Man) – Don’t allow yourself to close off entirely from Gideon during the holidays. As busy as it might be, you need that connection with him in order to stay healthy and happy.  He is also your support system for the new emotions and emotional intelligence you’ve been working on for the past year, so when these new emotions well up, you need to make sure you are going to him for help in sorting them out and easing their intensity.

What is one thing I should focus on in order to show up to the holidays as my best self?

Ten of Clubs (Bear) – As strong as you are? You’re not invincible. You can’t carry it all on your shoulders and you can’t “be the boss” every second of every day.  If you don’t release your grip a bit now and then, you can’t find balance or find that best self that resides within you.

DECK USED:  SANDS CASINO DECK c.1990s w/ HAND DRAWN LENORMAND IMAGES

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Walk

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Prompt: Pull up to three cards use them as the inspiration to draw, craft, or describe a spooky nighttime walk outside.

Eldritch TarotDeath – On Halloween night, Fred took his little sister out trick or treating for the first time.  Their parents had divorced this year, something that had been coming for a long time, and he was the man of the house now.  That meant that even though he wasn’t really all that excited about trick or treating this year, he was in charge of keeping his sister safe.

Hand in hand he took Cassie from house to house in the unfamiliar neighborhood they’d moved into just two weeks before. At each house they chimed their “Trick or Treat!” after the door opened and held out their bags for the goodies to be dropped inside.

The Devil atop The Magician – When they reached the end of the street and the last house that sat there, they repeated he process again and the man that answered the door was friendly and boisterous.  He complimented their Robin Hood and Maid Marian costumes and gave them whole candy bars!

The man said that he had more inside, but he had to go all the way to the kitchen to get them.  He invited them both to come in, and Fred’s sister tugged on his hand to pull him forward toward the front door, eager for more of the good candy that the man was offering.

The Hierophant – But Fred had been given a talk by Dad that Cassie was too young to have gotten yet.  Dad had told him about the bad people.  People that seemed nice but wanted to hurt him or his sister, steal them away, and do bad things to them. Dad’s talk stuck with him when he and his sister walked to school every day, and it came back to him now as Cassie tried to pull him up the porch steps and into the stranger’s house.

Taking a strong, hard hold of his sister’s hand, he declined the man’s offer and hurried them away from the house at the end of the street. At home, he would pass on Dad’s talk to Cassie.  At home, he would make sure that Cassie knew to never, ever go down to the end of the street by herself… and that she could always depend on him to go with her if she wanted.

DECK USED: THE ELDRITCH TAROT (MAJORS ONLY)

Transitioning from October to November

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This is a spread that I do at the end of each month to close out the month.

Month End Tarot Check In - Skele-Tarot and Nicoletta Ciccoli Tarot

Individuality – King of Swords and Nascondino – Hiding from responsibilities and allowing a fog to swirl in and create confusion and panic where clarity is needed.  Fear follows and creates tension as you fear what you can’t see and what might pass you buy entirely without seeing you in turn.

Dependence – Hanged Man atop The Empress, Dolceamara atop Rose Red – In the grasp of the above mentioned situation, you have lost sight of your need for self care and your walls are trying to come up and close you off from others. This habit is not healthy for you, or for others either.  Don’t allow your walls to get so high that you can no longer see beyond them.

Creativity – Ten of Wands Rx, Mary Go Round, Hide and Seek – Less burden and a bit more fun.  A different path than the one you are used to walking upon. You’re trying to change.  Remember that this isn’t about changing who you are or the person others see, but about changing the habits that are unhealthy for you and exchanging them for something better.

Limitation – Three of Cups and [Unknown Title] – Your self flagellation for having a good time and taking care of your needs (social and otherwise). That negative inner dialogue has begun to spread out from your inner voice and influence your actions and emotions.  There is no need to punish yourself.  It will only set you back.

Change – King of Pentacles and Agata – Your guides and the cards are working together to comfort you over your financial uncertainties.  You should listen and lean into that comforting rather than stubbornly clinging to the worries you’ve been struggling with. Allowing that comforting to do its job and listening to the nurturing voice that’s trying to help you will allow for you to find solid footing concerning how you feel about your finances and resources.

Sympathy – Justice and Luck – Times in the past when you have been treated unjustly have been swirling around the outer edges of your awareness recently and causing a dimming of your inner “shine”.  This is a shadow that wants to rise up and needs to be soothed back into place with reminders that that time of powerlessness is in the past now.

Luck – Five of Cups and The Ice Princess – Remember when you were learning how to serve and your grip on the tray wobbled, all of the glasses on the tray sliding off to the floor except one? Even though they fell, none of them broke, and the one still on the tray didn’t even spill a little bit.  It was a triumph… even in the face of failure.  Sometimes we can wall ourselves off to those small triumphs, and you’re at risk of doing that now.  Make sure you don’t forget to celebrate the little things.

Power – Seven of Wands, Cuddle, Last Days – Feeling ganged up on and vulnerable does not mean it’s time to build up your walls and seclude yourself away from the rest of the world.

Responsibility – Two of Wands, Cowgirl, [Unknown Title] atop Blue Bird and The Fox – Grab a direction and run with it.  This message is an echo of a previous reading you did that said the same thing.  Essentially, put on your big boy pants and GO already.  Stagnation is not your friend.  I pulled clarification cards on this position, which then indicate a need for diligence and paying attention to your surroundings.

Message from Spirit World – Overcome your feelings of vulnerability not by closing yourself off, but rather by accepting comfort and allowing it to both ground and energize you.  Keep an eye out for predators.

Message from Mind’s World – Don’t poison yourself with old habits that you know aren’t good for you. It will close you off from being able to see “the full picture” and leave you forsaking positive activities for less healthy ones.

Message from Known World – All actions have consequences and repercussions.  Make sure that you are paying attention to what you do staying true to path and kind to yourself.

DECKS USED:  SKELE-TAROT AND NICOLETTA CICCOLI TAROT (MODIFIED)